Oregon Plants, Oregon Places: Gearhart Mountain Wilderness Ron Larson 6527 Climax Ave. Klamath Falls, OR 97603 earhart Mountain, a inches, measured at 7,000 ft. broad-shouldered elevation on the mountain. Ggiant on the border Although this is likely excep- between Klamath and Lake tional, it emphasizes the import- counties, lures me each July to ance of snow in the water bud- explore the pristine meadows get of the mountain. Snow covers located on its east flank, seeking most of higher terrain from Nov- further discoveries among the ember to June, and in heavy abundant wildflowers. Gearhart snowfall years, some small drifts Mountain, located about 12 last through summer and fall. As miles northeast of Bly, forms a consequence, springs, seeps, part of the watershed boundary wet meadows, and other between the Klamath and wetlands are plentiful at the Chewaucan drainages. It lies higher elevations. The basin within the Fremont-Winema formed by Dairy Creek Cirque National Forest. Higher areas of on the east side of the mountain the mountain (above 6,300 ft.) has the highest concentration of received wilderness designation meadows. These start at about in 1964, with additional lands 7,600 ft. and continue down added in 1984, bringing the slope for about a mile. current Wilderness total to 22,800 acres. The mountain was Geology and Soils named for the Gearhart family, local ranchers who lived in the Gearhart is a Miocene shield area in the 1870s (McArthur volcano composed of numerous 1982). During WWII the low-viscosity lava flows that Mitchell family was picnicking extend outwards about ten miles near the southern base of the Palisade Rocks consist of porphyritic lava rock weathered into a variety of from the mountain. (Newberry mountain. They died when a fascinating shapes. Photo taken at 6,500 feet elevation by Ron Larson. Crater, south of Bend is also a Japanese fire balloon, designed shield volcano, and other shield to ignite West Coast forests, exploded when they touched it. A volcanoes occur in the area just east of the Cascades from northern monument now stands near the site of the accident. California to Washington.) On Gearhart Mountain, this gray, Situated between two physiographic provinces (Cascade igneous, porphyritic rock forms prominent outcrops and Mountains, Basin and Range), Gearhart Mountain provides an formations, some over 300 feet high. Their characteristic platy, opportunity to investigate how its flora has been affected by these slate-like fracture creates conspicuous rock formations, many of two large floristic regions. At 8,364 ft, Gearhart is the highest peak which are named; for example, Haystack Rock, The Dome, in south-central Oregon between the Cascade and Warner Moun- Lookout Rock, and Palisade Rocks. tains. The nearest peaks of similar height are Yamsey (8,196 ft.) Powerful erosional forces, especially glaciers, have carved about 40 miles to the northwest, and Drake (8,407 ft.) about 40 prominent valleys that dominate the terrane on the north and miles to the east. The Cascades lie about 75 miles to the west. east sides. Well preserved moraine loops occur at distances of Taylor and Hannan (1999) place Gearhart Mountain in the two to three miles from cirque headwalls on the northeast side of “High Plateau” climate zone, which has a short growing season, the mountain (Osborn and Beavis 2001). The Dairy Creek Cirque subject to frost throughout the year. In Klamath County, annual is two miles wide. Dairy Creek flows into the Chewaucan River, precipitation averages 37 inches, with about 80 percent falling which drains into Lake Abert. Lake Abert basin lacks external between October and March. Average minimum temperatures drainage and some geographers consider it part of the Great Basin. for January are 15º F. Because of its height and size, precipitation Near-vertical cliffs of the massive headwall of the Dairy Creek rates on Gearhart are relatively high for the region east of the Cirque rise over 300 feet high. The headwall has eroded through Cascades. The Forest Service reports a record snow depth of 100 on the west, forming a prominent cliff that can be seen from a Kalmiopsis Volume 14, 2007 17 Gearhart Mountain Wilderness Map of Gearhart Mountain Wilderness showing Lookout Rock Trail, Palisade Rocks, and Dairy Creek Cirque in the southern part. Gearhart Mountain is located off Highway 140 about 50 miles ENE of Klamath Falls and 35 miles NW of Lakeview. Topographic map created using TOPO!® ©1998 Wildflower Productions, www.topo.com. Vicinity inset map from USFS website. 18 Kalmiopsis Volume 14, 2007 great distance. Prominent talus slopes and slide debris occur below Lookout Rock Trail enters the wilderness in a parkland of widely the cliffs. Other cirques and valleys occur around the mountain. scattered mature white fir and ponderosa pine. The yellowish wolf At the higher elevations, soils are poorly developed and contain lichen (Letharia vulpina) grows as an epiphyte on the bark of the a high fraction of volcanic ash and rock; lower sites have sandy firs, except near the base of the trees for about three to four feet, loam soils (Hopkins 1979). Habitats on the mountain vary by apparently marking the normal depth of winter snow. The forest elevation, aspect, soils, moisture, presence of exposed rock, and understory consists of creeping snowberry (Symphoricarpos mollis), other factors. Glacial activity on the north and east sides of the western hawkweed (Hieracium scouleri), bottlebrush squirreltail mountain has contributed to habitat diversity, especially by (Elymus elymoides), bitter dogbane (Apocynum androsaemifolium), gouging basins that trap fine sediments and water, thus creating Nuttall’s linanthus (Leptosiphon nuttallii), pinemat manzanita wetlands. The south and west aspects are warmer and drier than (Arctostaphylos nevadensis), pinedrops (Pterospora andromedea), the east and north slopes, and these differences are reflected in kelloggia (Kelloggia galioides), silverleaf phacelia (Phacelia hastata), the plant cover. Coniferous forests cover most of the mountain, waterleaf phacelia (P. hydrophylloides), bracken (Pteridium except were soils are saturated or the substrate is primarily rock. aquilinum), creeping Oregon grape (Berberis repens), wax currant (Ribes cereum) and sticky currant (R. viscosissimum). Colorful scarlet Plant Collections and Trail Access gilia (Ipomopsis aggregata) occurs in open, sunny sites where rufous hummingbirds are attracted to its nectar. According to records at Oregon State University Herbarium, At about 6,500 ft. elevation, prominent sculpted rock outcrops about 250 sheets have been collected from Gearhart Mountain, have been named Palisade Rocks. Here, among the stunted representing 166 plant species. Major collections were made by ponderosa pines that grow from cracks in the rocks or from John Leiberg in 1896, Lincoln Constance in 1928, May Loveless pockets of soil, I found a single whitebark pine. The pines are in 1931, and Virginia Crosby, Lakeview BLM botanist, in 1976 joined by an assortment of drought tolerant shrubs, including and 1979. I have been making observations since 1998. mountain spray (Holodiscus dumosus), curl-leaf mountain Most plant collections, including my own observations, have mahogany (Cercocarpus ledifolius), rubber rabbitbrush (Ericameria been from near Trail 100, which starts at the wilderness boundary nauseosa), and bitter cherry (Prunus emarginata). Also finding on the south side of the mountain near the Corral Creek refuge in the rock crevices are roundleaf alumroot (Heuchera campground and Finley Corrals. From the trailhead at 6,300 ft., cylindrica), hotrock penstemon (Penstemon deustus), and western this trail ascends for 5 miles to 8,000 feet, before descending to boneset (Ageratina occidentalis). In the seasonally dry gravel and 7,500 ft. in the Dairy Creek Cirque basin. From there it continues sandy soils at Palisade Rocks I have found mountain and prickly north for a total distance of 11 miles. To access the west side of sandworts (Arenaria capillaris and A. aculeata), western hawkweed, the mountain, use Boulder Creek Trail 100A, which originates at wormleaf stonecrop (Sedum stenopetalum) and several buckwheats: 6,500 ft. A third trail, Lookout Rock, is accessed via a short spur sulphur flower (Eriogonum umbellatum), barestem (E. nudum), road (#012) off Forest Road 34, which is about a half mile north and broom (E. vimineum). Grasses include western needlegrass of Bly on Highway 140. (Achnatherum occidentale), California brome (Bromus carinatus), Overview of Plant Communities Lookout Rock Trail Forests of western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis) and ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) occupy the south and west slopes between 6,300 and 7,000 ft. elevation. A broad area of scabland with only scattered trees covers the southwest slope near the Sprague River. In contrast, lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) and white fir (Abies concolor) dominate the north and east aspects. White fir extends onto the south and west sides, where it is joined by scattered ponderosa and sugar pine (Pinus lambertiana) up to about 7,000 feet, in what could be called the montane zone. Above this, in a subalpine zone, lodgepole pine and whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) Whitebark pine, flagged by the prevailing southwest wind, grow on the west side of Gearhart Mountain in the dominate, with the latter becoming subalpine zone, about 8,000 feet elevation. Mountain spray and mountain gooseberry grow protected by boulders. more prevalent above 7,500 ft. Discoid